The Arlington County Board today unanimously elected Christian Dorsey its 2019 Chair. Libby Garvey was named vice chair.

Arlington County Board Chair Christian Dorsey

Dorsey, elected to the Board in 2015, served as vice chair in 2018. He represents Northern Virginia as a principal director on the board of the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority, and represents Arlington County on other regional bodies including the Board of Directors of the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments. Read Christian Dorsey’s biography.

Focus on equity

After a sobering look at the County’s near-term budget challenges, Dorsey called for a focus on equity in County policies, both to “repair the damage that inattention to equity has already produced,” and to ensure that going forward, County policies address disparities in health and wellness outcomes, educational achievement and “many indicators of one’s ability to lead a secure and fulfilling life.”

The County must collect and analyze data “so that broad successes don’t mask real challenges people face,” Dorsey said. County government must “recognize and report on who benefits from and who is burdened by the actions of government, including budgets; land use decisions; appropriations; legislation and civic engagement. “

Saying education and dialogue is needed to repair damage already done in the community, Dorsey promised to support “to the greatest possible extent,” Virginia Humanities’ Changing the Narrative program, supporting educational and dialogue opportunities “to understand historical and current inequities in our community.”

Warning on Fiscal Year 2020 Budget

Amazon’s decision to expand its headquarters into Arlington – with a planned $2.5 billion investment and creation of 25,000 jobs over the next decade — “is a significant catalyst toward our emerging from austerity budgets,” Dorsey said. But for Amazon “to serve as a springboard for more opportunities for all Arlingtonians,” he said, “we must expertly manage its growth.” Changes that Amazon brings to the built environment must “reflect the vision of our existing plans,” Dorsey said, and the County must “prevent the displacement of residents and businesses, or the diminishment of the quality of life for all who already call Arlington home.”

Amazon’s arrival will not immediately address the challenges posed by the ongoing high office vacancy rate that has weakened the County’s tax base, increased Metro funding needs and increased local funding obligations stemming from the state’s welcome decision to expand Medicaid coverage, Dorsey cautioned. In FY 2020, he noted, the County faces a combined County-Arlington Public Schools budget gap for Fiscal Year 2020 of as much as $70 million.

Services costs exceed revenues

The County’s recent resident satisfaction survey produced high marks for County services, but today “we are in the unfortunate position of having (costs of services) significantly exceed our revenues,” Dorsey said. “We need our partners at APS to find significant savings, and we will still be left with needing to either fundamentally reduce the services that Arlingtonians expect and value, or raise revenues through a property tax increase…just to deliver the same levels of service,” Dorsey said. Read Christian Dorsey’s Jan. 2 remarks.

The County Manager will present his proposed FY 2020 Budget to the County Board in February. The Board will then launch an extensive public review process, culminating in the Board adopting the budget at its April 2019 meeting. The FY 2020 Fiscal Year begins on July 1, 2019.

Vice Chair Libby Garvey

Libby Garvey, elected to the Board in March 2012, was named vice chair by her colleagues on the Board. Garvey previously has served a term as County Board Chair. She serves on the Northern Virginia Regional Commission, Northern Virginia Transportation Commission, Metropolitan Region Council of Governments and other regional bodies.

“I believe we need to figure out together, as a community, what we want Arlington’s future to be,” Garvey said, noting that “everyone says they want to preserve what they love about Arlington, but for some people that means a quiet, tree-lined street with single family homes, and for others it means a bustling urban landscape with bikes, scooters, restaurants, food trucks, and lots of people moving around pretty much 24/7. For everyone, it means affordability.”

Garvey said her priorities include getting through “some tough budget years” by focusing on efficiencies and priorities “in a way I don’t remember us doing.” She said she looks forward to continuing to provide “smaller, more intimate settings for discussions of broader challenges and potential solutions, and to improving civic dialogue and general civility in community discussions. Read Libby Garvey’s Jan. 2 remarks.

Board Member Katie Cristol

Katie Cristol called for revising the County’s zoning ordinance to “allow different, diverse and more affordable home types throughout the County, not just in our commercial areas.” Amazon’s impending arrival “has focused our community energy on protecting our middle class from being priced out permanently, Cristol said. “We can’t squander the opportunity to tackle this hard and important work in the year ahead.”

Because the region has not grown its housing supply to match its economy in recent years, Cristol said, “we’re all feeling the consequences: an affordable housing crisis for our middle class; displacement of our working class and low-income residents.” Arlington “may be only one jurisdiction in our big region, but I know we can be leaders in establishing a better way forward.”

Cristol said she also is looking forward to the Board acting on zoning ordinance and childcare code amendments in 2019 to increase the amount of quality, affordable childcare available in Arlington.

Board Member Erik Gutshall

Noting that “2019 begins for Arlington with both awesome opportunity and daunting challenges,” as it readies for Amazon’s arrival and tackles a difficult budget for FY 2020, Erik Gutshall said that whether the year will realize the County’s “wildest dreams,” or “our worst fears,” will depend on “the choices we make, and the leadership this Board provides this coming year.”

Arlington has spent decades “preparing for Amazon’s arrival,” through long-range planning efforts and investment infrastructure, Gutshall said, but he understands why “some see Amazon primarily exacerbating our worst fears,” as they wonder what its impact may be on crowded schools, open space, regional transportation infrastructure and affordable housing.

Gutshall cited the need for a multi-year visioning and planning effort to develop a long-range comprehensive schools and community facilities plan, modernizing the County’s zoning “to allow market-driven housing forms for the middle class,” and updating the Community Energy Plan as his priorities in 2019. He proposed that the County join the Green New Deal movement to transform the economy “to tackle the twin crises of inequality and climate change.” Read Erik Gutshall’s Jan. 2 remarks.

Board Member Matt de Ferranti

Matt de Ferranti, the newest member of the Board, said he will apply four standards to his consideration of an agreement with Amazon: that it provide a significant net benefit to our whole community; that an agreement further the County’s goals with respect to housing, transportation and schools; that small businesses are fairly considered as we implement an agreement; and that the County conduct a full, fair, and transparent process for considering an agreement.

de Ferranti also identified his priorities for 2019, which include bringing down the 19 percent office vacancy rate; providing the funding to build the schools to educate every child well; addressing housing affordability via creativity and relentlessness on affordable homeownership and rental units; putting the County back in a regional leadership role on climate change, renewable energy and our environment, and working to end child hunger in Arlington. Read Matt deFerranti’s Jan. 2 remarks.

Following the Organizational Meeting, the Board joined the Arlington County Civic Federation at its General Membership meeting, held in the County Board Room. Board members fielded questions from Civic Federation members on a range of issues.

]]>Arlington County Board November Recessed Meeting Actionshttps://newsroom.arlingtonva.us/release/arlington-county-board-november-recessed-meeting-actions/
Wed, 28 Nov 2018 04:10:15 +0000https://newsroom.arlingtonva.us/?post_type=news_release&p=19693The Arlington County Board today approved Virginia Hospital Center’s expansion plans, a $3.025 million loan to renovate senior housing in Ballston, and guidance that will set the parameters for the County Manager’s proposed Fiscal Year 2020 Budget at its November Recessed Meeting.

Major systems to be upgraded; roof and elevators repaired; units updated

The Arlington County Board today approved a low-interest loan of $3.025 million in federal Community Development Block Grant funds to help renovate The Carlin, a 162-unit, 10-story building located at 4300 N. Carlin Springs Road. The Carlin serves low income elderly residents who are 55 years and older. Ninety-seven percent of the tenants are 62+ years old; 14 residents are more than 90 years old. About 60 percent of the current residents live on fixed annual incomes below $20,000.

“The Carlin, located in Ballston, offers a rare opportunity for low-income and very-low income seniors to live in Arlington’s Metro corridor. More than just an affordable place to rent, the Carlin offers a wide range of free, on-site activities, services, and meals,” Arlington County Board Chair Katie Cristol said. “This CDBG loan will ensure that The Carlin will continue to offer high-quality, affordable housing — and community — for Arlington seniors for six more decades.”

The Board voted unanimously to approve the loan. To read the staff report for this item, visit the County website. Scroll to Item No. 32 on the agenda for the Tuesday, Nov. 27, 2018 Recessed County Board Meeting.

Retirement Housing Foundation (RHF), one of the nation’s largest non-profit developers and managers of housing and services for older adults, persons with disabilities and low-income families, completed construction of The Carlin in 1995. RHF has committed to keeping 161 units (all but one property manager unit) affordable for 60 years. Fifty-nine of the units will be affordable to seniors at or below 50 percent of the Area Median Income (AMI) – an increase of 26 units affordable to households with very low incomes. The remaining 102 units will be affordable to seniors at or below 60 percent of the AMI.

Planned renovations for The Carlin include roofing and elevator repairs, upgrade or replacement of major systems, redesign of first floor common areas, new flooring, paint, doors and hardware, LED lighting fixtures, and other improvements to resident units. The renovations will meet EarthCraft Multifamily green building standards which aim to save energy and water and to improve indoor air quality. The renovations will be phased over 18 months, with residents relocated on site to temporary units.

The CDBG funds loaned by the County represent about 7 percent of the total development costs for the project. Funds from several other sources will be significantly leveraged by RHF for a leverage ratio of $13 for every County dollar.

]]>November County Board Meeting Agenda Highlightshttps://newsroom.arlingtonva.us/release/november-county-board-meeting-agenda-highlights/
Fri, 09 Nov 2018 14:34:00 +0000https://newsroom.arlingtonva.us/?post_type=news_release&p=19454The Arlington County Board will consider dozens of items at its November 2018 meeting. The Regular Meeting is scheduled for Saturday, Nov. 17. Due to the Thanksgiving Holiday, the Recessed Meeting will be held Tuesday, Nov. 27. The County Board meeting is held on the third floor at the Ellen M. Bozman Government Center, 2100 Clarendon Blvd., and is open to the public. Visit the County website for information on speaking at a Regular County Board Meeting.

Watch it Live

All County Board meetings are live-streamed on the County website, and broadcast live on the County’s cable channel, ATV, with live captioning. You can watch the Board Meetings on Comcast 25 & 1085 (HD), and Verizon FiOS 39 & 40, or live-streamed on YouTube. Videos of Board meetings are archived on the County website (with captions and reports) and on YouTube.

Saturday, Nov. 17 – County Board Regular Meeting

(Note: The meeting starts at 8:30 a.m. with public comment. Some reports will be posted closer to the meeting date.)

New Elementary School at Reed site: The Board will hold a public hearing and consider a proposal to renovate and expand the Reed School/Westover Library building to create a new neighborhood elementary school. The new school would serve up to 732 students.

Arlington Public Schools is seeking an amendment to a use permit approved in 2007. The Reed School/Westover Library building currently serves as an interim facility for the Stratford Program.

A joint review of the proposed project by the Public Facilities Review Committee and Building Level Planning Committee began in October 2017. During an extensive public engagement process, several County advisory commissions reviewed the proposed project, and the Arlington Public School Board has approved the schematic design. To read the staff report, scroll to Item No. 27 on the agenda.

Four Mile Run Valley Area Plan:The Board will hold a public hearing and consider adopting the draft Four Mile Run Valley Area Plan, focused around the Four Mile Run stream and floodplain. The plan, together with the Four Mile Run Valley Parks Master Plan and Design Guidelines adopted by the Board in September 2018, offers a comprehensive vision, policy framework and specific strategies that will guide future development in the area bounded by Interstate 395 to the east, Arlington Mill Drive to the south, Barcroft Park to the west and Four Mile Run Drive to the north. Four Mile Run Valley is one of the only remaining contiguous areas planned and zoned for industrial uses in Arlington and is home to 23 acres of parks. The Four Mile Run Valley planning process was initiated in 2016 as a comprehensive planning effort. To read the staff report, scroll to Item No. 26 on the agenda.

County Seal

2019 General Assembly Legislative Package: The Board will hold a public hearing on the draft 2019 General Assembly Legislative Package, before voting on it at its December 15, 2018 meeting. The 2019 General Assembly session will begin on January 9, 2019.

Priorities in the draft package include fully funding K-12 education; ensuring dedicated transportation funding that is stable and predictable for both capital projects and transit operations; re-examining assumptions that led to reduced funds for Community Services Boards in Fiscal Year 2019 and Fiscal Year 2020, and if reimbursements for new Medicaid enrollments do not equal the reductions, restore the difference in current and future funding.

Other priorities include reconciling federal tax changes and court decisions by adopting statutory changes that will enable Virginia to collect sales and use taxes from internet sales and ensuring extra revenue coming to Virginia from the Federal Tax Cut and Jobs Act is used to meet state and local priorities. To read the staff report and view the legislative package, scroll to Item No. 28 on the agenda.

The Board will take all public comments into consideration before voting on the draft package in December, and will hold a work session with the Arlington General Assembly delegation. County staff worked with the County’s boards and commissions, departmental staff, the public and County Board members through the summer and fall to develop the draft package.

Neighborhood Conservation Funding: The Board will consider approving $2.92 million in Neighborhood Conservation bond funds for two Neighborhood Conservation projects. The projects, recommended by the Neighborhood Conservation Advisory Committee, would use the last funding from the 2016 Neighborhood Conservation Bond approved by Arlington voters. One project would make street improvements and install streetlights on N. Monroe Street, from 17th Street N to 3612 19th Street N, in Cherrydale and the other would improve Edison Park on N. Edison Street in Arlington Forest. To read the staff report, scroll to Item No. 17 on the agenda.

At its September Meeting, the Board held an hours-long public hearing on the proposed expansion, then issued guidance to the hospital to work out specific details of the proposed design with neighbors. The public hearing on this item is closed, and the matter will be before the Board for a final decision at the November meeting. To read the staff report, scroll to Item No. 33 on the agenda. (The staff report for this item will be posted the week of November 12 through 27).

In a separate, related action, the Board will consider accepting a grant from Virginia Hospital Center to fund a licensed clinician for five years to provide adolescent behavioral health crisis stabilization services. To read the staff report, scroll to Item No. 34 on the agenda. (The staff report for this item will be posted the week of November 12 through 16).

FY 2020 Budget Guidance/FY 2018 Close-Out: The Board will hold public hearings on its budget guidance for Fiscal Year 2020 and the proposed use of FY 2018 close-out funds. The County Manager has noted that the projected increase in revenues for FY 2020 is not keeping pace with budget pressures in expenditures, creating an expected budget gap of $20 million to $35 million for the fiscal year that may be closed through a combination of revenue increases and/or service reductions. To read the staff reports, scroll to Items No. 30 and 31 on the agenda. (The staff reports for these items will be posted the week of November 12 through 16).

$3 Million CDBG funds loan to renovate The Carlin, a senior housing project: The Board will consider approving a $3 million federal Community Development Block Grant fund loan to renovate The Carlin, a senior housing project at 4435 N. Pershing Drive. Most of the residents of the 162-unit, 10-story building in the Ballston Metro corridor are low-income retirees who are 60 years old or older. Sixty percent live on less than $20,000 a year. The loan would be made to the Retirement Housing Foundation, one of the nation’s largest non-profit developers and managers of housing and services for older adults, persons with disabilities and low-income families.

Under the proposed agreement, the County will require that 161 of the 162 units be committed affordable for 60 years (one will be a management office). Fifty-nine units will be restricted to seniors earning at or below 50 percent the Area Median Income (AMI), an increase of 26 very-low-income units in the building. The remaining 102 units will be restricted at or below 60 percent of AMI. Residents will be housed on-site in “swing” apartments during renovations planned to be phased over 18 months.

To read the staff report, scroll to Item No. 32 on the agenda. (The staff report for this item will be posted the week of November 12 through 16).

]]>Board Eases Restrictions on Expanding, Improving Nonconforming Homeshttps://newsroom.arlingtonva.us/release/board-eases-restrictions-on-expanding-improving-nonconforming-homes/
Wed, 24 Oct 2018 01:10:42 +0000https://newsroom.arlingtonva.us/?post_type=news_release&p=19098The Arlington County Board today acted to make it easier for owners of one- and -two-family homes that do not conform with the Zoning Ordinance to improve or expand their dwellings.

“The Board’s action today is an important step toward preserving older, smaller, homes that are such an important element of Arlington’s dwindling stock of affordable housing,” County Board Chair Katie Cristol said. “Making it easier to renovate and expand nonconforming single-family and side-by-side homes and duplexes is one way we can help preserve the ‘Missing Middle’ housing that is so sorely needed in Arlington.”

The Board voted unanimously to approve the amendment to the Zoning Ordinance, which will permit nonconforming one- and two-family dwellings in the R2-7 Two-Family and Townhouse Dwelling District to make by-right expansions and additions less than 50 percent of the size of the dwelling as of July 15, 1950. It also allows nonconforming one- and two-family dwellings in the currently excluded R districts (R15-30T, R10-T) and all RA districts to make structural interior alterations by-right.

Arlington nonconforming duplex.

For decades, the type of investment and renovations that have been allowed for most nonconforming single-family homes in single-family zoning districts have not been permitted for nearly all the County’s side-by-side housing, and some single-family homes in two-family and multi-family zoning districts. The changes adopted by the Board will remove those barriers, and the disincentive for investment in their improvement and expansion.

Nonconforming homes are common across Arlington

There are many one-family homes, semi-detached housing and duplexes across the County that currently do not conform with the Zoning Ordinance requirements for setbacks, lot width, lot area, lot coverage and off-street parking, largely because the homes were built in the 1920 through the early 1940s, before the 1942 Zoning Ordinance, which significantly increased minimum lot width and lot area, was adopted. This includes almost 1,500 two-family homes, both semi-detached and duplexes.

Most of the two-family dwellings whose ability to make exterior expansions and additions today are limited and are located along Lee Highway, Columbia Pike, Wilson Boulevard, and the Nauck neighborhood.

The Code of Virginia permits property owners to operate, use and maintain a nonconforming use after zoning standards are amended. Zoning ordinances, however, often limit the ability to make changes to nonconforming structures. In Arlington, that approach has resulted in limitations on the ability to make interior structural alterations in nonconforming one- and two-family dwellings in the R10-T, R15-30 T and RA Districts, and in Public, Commercial and Industrial districts.

In addition, nonconforming one-family dwellings outside of one-family zoning districts are prohibited from making conforming, exterior additions and/or expansions, along with all nonconforming two-family, townhouse, and multi-family dwellings in any zoning district. Property owners have had to appeal to the Board of Zoning Appeals to make such alterations.

To read the staff report, scroll to Item No. 32 on the agenda for the Saturday, Oct. 20, 2018 Regular County Board Meeting.

]]>More Housing Choice Vouchers for Arlingtonianshttps://newsroom.arlingtonva.us/release/more-housing-choice-vouchers-for-arlingtonians/
Sat, 20 Oct 2018 13:38:22 +0000https://newsroom.arlingtonva.us/?post_type=news_release&p=19125More very low-income Arlingtonians will be eligible for assistance to secure safe, decent, affordable housing in the private market under a U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development grant accepted today by the County Board.

The nearly $464,000 HUD Housing Choice Mainstream Voucher Grant is a specialized voucher program that will help non-elderly persons with disabilities who are transitioning out of institutional settings, at risk of institutionalization, homeless, or at risk of being homeless, rent housing in Arlington. The County’s Department of Human Services expects 40 Arlington residents to will be housed through the grant.

“This grant helps address a significant need in our community and will be a life-changing resource for some of our most vulnerable neighbors,” County Board Chair Katie Cristol said.

The Board voted unanimously to accept the HUD grant. To read the staff report, visit the County website. Scroll to Item No. 19 on the agenda for the Saturday, Oct. 20, 2018 Regular County Board Meeting.

Arlington will administer the vouchers through the Housing Choice Voucher (HCV) Program operated by the County’s Department of Human Services (DHS). The program, which supports low-income families, people with disabilities, and older adults, issued $17.33 million in Housing Choice Vouchers to more than 1,500 Arlington households in fiscal year 2018. The average wait for a voucher currently is about five years

The housing subsidy is paid directly to the landlord by DHS. The family or individual then pays the difference between the actual rent and the subsidy. Eligibility is determined by gross income and family size. Family income may not exceed 50 percent of the median income for the County or metropolitan area in which the family chooses to live.

The grant accepted by the County Board today is part of a larger national program providing funding to housing authorities across the country to help house more than 12,000 people. DHS expects to allocate its vouchers in early 2019.

“This is a multi-year program, meaning Arlington will be eligible for this additional funding annually, that allows us to help households now on our HCV wait list; take active referrals; support people now in our Permanent Supportive Housing Program, and work with community members who are chronically homeless. Importantly, the eligible household member does not need to be the head of household, which means the vouchers could help families caring for their adult children with disabilities,” DHS Housing Bureau Chief Nicole Harmon said.

About affordable housing in Arlington

Arlington’s 2015 Affordable Housing Master Plan noted that it has “become increasingly difficult for the County to retain a sufficient supply of housing affordable to households with low and moderate incomes.” According to the plan, by 2013, less than nine percent of the County’s housing supply was affordable to these households.

The Arlington County Board will consider dozens of items at its October 2018 meeting. The Regular Meeting is scheduled for Saturday, Oct. 20, and the Recessed Meeting will be held Tuesday, Oct. 23. The meeting is held in the County Board Room on the third floor of 2100 Clarendon Blvd., and is open to the public. Visit the County website for information on speaking at a Regular County Board Meeting.

Watch it Live

All Arlington County Board meetings are live-streamed on the County website, and broadcast live on the County’s cable channel, ATV, with live captioning. You can watch the Board Meetings on Comcast 25 & 1085 (HD), and Verizon FiOS 39 & 40, or live-streamed on YouTube. Videos of Board meetings are archived on the County website (with captions and reports) and on YouTube.

(Note: The meeting starts at 8:30 a.m. with public comment. Some reports will be posted closer to the meeting date.) View the agenda. Highlights include:

Crystal City Redevelopment: The Board will hold a public hearing and consider a rezoning and three site plan amendments for a portion of the Crystal Square mixed-use development in the heart of Crystal City, between 15th Street South, 18th Street South, Crystal Drive and US Route 1.

If approved, the project would include approximately 100,000 square feet of new street-oriented retail uses including infill development of a new Alamo Drafthouse movie theater and a small-format grocery store along Crystal Drive, in the heart of Crystal City. The project also includes building a stand-alone two-story retail building at the northwest corner of Crystal Drive and 18th Street S above a future eastern entrance to the Crystal City Metro station. The developer also proposes renovating and making architectural improvements to an existing 1970s office building at 1750/1770 Crystal Drive, which has been vacant since the US Marshals’ Service left the building, for continued use as office space.

Owner and developer JBGSmith also would commit to dedicating an easement to the County for a public park of approximately 43,900 square feet along 18th Street South, between Crystal Drive and South Bell Street. To read the staff report, scroll to Item Nos. 25 and 26 on the agenda. Learn more about the Crystal Square project.

Fiscal Year 2018 Budget Close-Out — The Board will hold a public hearing on the Manager’s recommendations for re-allocating funding for the fiscal year that ended June 30, 2018. The Board will vote on the Manager’s recommendations at its November 2018 Meeting. To read the Manager’s recommendations, scroll to Item No. 30 on the agenda.

Westover Beer Garden — The Board will hold a public hearing on renewing Westover Market’s use permits for live entertainment and an outdoor cafe. Staff is recommending renewing the permits, but eliminating amplified outdoor live entertainment at the Beer Garden, citing noise ordinance violations and the impact on the surrounding neighborhood. To read the staff report, scroll to Item No. 29 on the agenda.

Four Mile Run Valley Area Plan — The Board will hold a public hearing on the Manager’s recommendation that it set public hearings in November before the Planning Commission and the County Board on the Four Mile Run Valley Area Plan. The plan is the result of a two-year community planning effort. Major recommendations involve short- and long-term projects to increase the availability of on-street parking. In the short-term, staff will propose new parking regulations to streamline parking and to promote parking turnover in areas near Jennie Dean Park along a portion of Four Mile Run Drive, and along South Nelson Street, South Oakland Street and 27th Street South. In the long-term, staff proposes to study and implement reconfiguration of Four Mile Run Drive, in phases, to increase sidewalk space and increase parking resources. To read the staff report, and the draft area plan, scroll to Item No. 24 on the agenda.

HUD funding for more Housing Choice Vouchers: The Board will consider accepting a nearly $464,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development for Mainstream Housing Choice Vouchers. The vouchers would help house 40 non-elderly persons with disabilities who are transitioning out of institutional settings; at risk of institutionalization, homeless or at risk of becoming homeless. Applicants now on the County’s waiting list, referred by partner agencies or referred by the residents themselves would be eligible for the multi-year grant. The County expects to issue the vouchers in early 2019. To read the staff report, scroll to Item No. 19 on the agenda.

No sooner than 6:30 p.m. – The Board will hold public hearings on, and consider, any items pulled from Saturday’s Consent Agenda. Regular Hearing Items will be considered no earlier than 6:45 p.m.

Macedonia Baptist Church Family Life Center: The Board will hold a public hearing and consider two use permits for a community swimming pool at 3440 22nd Street S, and associated parking at 3412 22nd St. S., for the Macedonia Baptist Church Family Life Center. If approved by the Board, the use permits would allow the church to build a new community swimming pool and allow shared parking on its church parking lot. The proposed seven-lane swimming pool would have a seasonal dome and a two-story community building, with bathrooms/changing rooms for the swimming pool, and community meeting rooms. To read the staff report, scroll to Item No. 34 on the agenda. (Item No. 33 is a related item that, if adopted, would amend the Zoning Ordinance to authorize the County Board to modify fencing, coverage, and placement standards for Community Swimming Pools by use permit.)

Easing restrictions on changes to nonconforming lots and nonconforming one-and-two-family homes: The Board will hold a public hearing and consider adopting Zoning Ordinance amendments that would clarify provisions for non-conforming lots and expand the number of zoning districts in which non-conforming homes may make interior and exterior alterations and expansions.

The proposed changes are meant to address difficulties the existing zoning regulations pose for homeowners seeking to make interior structural alterations and exterior additions and expansions in non-conforming one- and two-family dwellings in districts other than one-family zoning districts.

If adopted, the changes would permit non-conforming one- and two-family dwellings in the R2-7 Two-Family and Townhouse Dwelling District to expand and add on as a matter of right with approval by the Zoning Administrator, and would also permit non-conforming one-and-two-family dwellings in the currently excluded R districts – R15-30T, R10-T, and all RA districts, to make structural interior alterations by-right. To read the staff report, scroll to Item No. 32 on the agenda.

The Arlington County Board today voted unanimously to approve changes to the County Real Estate Tax Relief for the Elderly program that were recommended by the County Manager and developed by a working group. The proposed changes would extend the application timeline and change some eligibility criteria for the program, among other adjustments.

“Although in recent days there have been those in the community who advocated for the Board to allow deferrals of property taxes only, rather than exemptions, such a change would have made Arlington unique among jurisdictions in this region. For that reason, and because real estate tax deferrals are fraught with problems for people with mortgages, the Board did not choose that option,” County Board Katie Cristol said.

“This vote was an endorsement of the both the substance of the proposed changes, and of the extensive, thoughtful process behind them. The working group, which brought together divergent points of view, data and personal experiences, worked diligently for more than a year to produce thoughtful recommendations on how to more effectively reach those seniors who really need this program.”

The changes include extending the application deadline from August 15 to November 15; allowing for the provision of retroactive real estate tax relief of up to two years under extreme circumstances; increasing the program’s exemption asset limit from $340,000 to $400,000; adjusting the asset limits annually, based on changes in the Consumer Price Index; revising the method for calculating applicants’ assets, and more.

The adopted eligibility changes will decrease the tax revenue that the County will forego by an estimated net of $153,898. The County will pay about $3,200 in one-time administrative expenses to reprogram existing systems in the Department of Human Services and the Treasurer’s Office. The effect of allowing applicants to adjust their assets using various deductions is not known at this time. The Board did not adopt options it had included in its June advertisement of today’s public hearing, which would have limited program eligibility for properties worth more than $1 million.

Most of the changes will take effect Jan. 1, 2019. to read the staff report and presentation on this item, visit the County website. Scroll to Item No. 55 on the agenda for the Saturday, July 14, 2018 Regular County Board Meeting.

About the Real Estate Tax Relief Working Group

The proposed changes stem from the work of the Real Estate Tax Relief Working Group, appointed by the County Manager in 2016, at the direction of the Board. The working group was charged with studying the tax relief program and developing recommendations for the Fiscal Year 2018 budget process. Members included representatives from the County’s commissions on aging, disability, fiscal affairs and housing, as well as a member-at-large, and tax relief program participants. The working group presented its final report and recommendations in April, 2017.

About Real Estate Tax Relief for the elderly, permanently disabled

Virginia localities are authorized to provide Real Estate Tax Relief to homeowners aged 65 or over, as well as to permanently disabled homeowners. Arlington’s program is overseen by the Department of Human Services. In 2015, 940 Arlington households were approved for tax relief under the program, resulting in $4.2 million in uncollected revenue.

The 2015 Affordable Housing Master Plan found that many low-income senior households on fixed incomes face financial stress related to increasing condominium fees and real estate taxes. The plan’s implementation framework recommended that the goals and guidelines of the tax relief program be reviewed, and that income levels, asset levels and criteria for exemptions and deferrals be considered for redefinition.

]]>MEDIA ALERT: Arlington County Board Chair to Deliver State of the County Addresshttps://newsroom.arlingtonva.us/release/media-alert-arlington-county-board-chair-to-deliver-state-of-the-county-address/
Mon, 25 Jun 2018 14:29:17 +0000https://newsroom.arlingtonva.us/?post_type=news_release&p=17393In her State of the County speech on Thursday, June 28, Arlington County Board Chair Katie Cristol will survey the County’s economic horizon, including positive trends in housing, transportation and economic development, and take questions from the audience. The State of the County & Public Safety Awards breakfast event is hosted annually by the Arlington Chamber of Commerce.

The Arlington County Board today approved a rezoning and Site Plan that will allow Wesley Housing Development Corporation to redevelop a block of property in the Buckingham neighborhood, once home to the County’s Red Cross headquarters, with new housing. The redevelopment will include 97 affordable units in one new building, two rows of townhomes, and the preservation of the four buildings that comprise Whitefield Commons.

“The project also includes renovating an existing playground with public access on weekends, weekday evening hours, and on Arlington Public Schools holidays; improving circulation around and through the site by widening sidewalks; consolidating curb cuts, and filling in missing sidewalk links. Our community, facing an ever more severe deficit of affordable housing, needs more projects like this one.”

The County Board voted 5 to 0 to approve the rezoning of a portion of the site and the Site Plan. To read the staff report(s), visit the County website. Scroll to Item No. 48 on the agenda for the Saturday, April 21, 2018 Regular County Board Meeting.

About the redevelopment plan

The property is located at 20 N. Thomas Street, 15 and 19 N. Trenton Street and 4333 Arlington Boulevard. The rows of three-story townhouses will front on N. Thomas Street, with the four-story multi-family building fronting on the Arlington Boulevard Service road at N. Trenton Street. The project is expected to be phased, with the townhouses built in Phase I and the multi-family building in Phase II.

The developer has agreed to achieve Earthcraft Gold or LEED v4 Homes and Multifamily Midrise Gold certification for the multi-family building. Both programs set standards for green building practices and energy efficiency. The developer received additional density for providing affordable housing and for energy efficiency certification for the new building.

The applicant will put in place a Transportation Management Plan (TMP), for each element of the project, to encourage transportation alternatives. The plan will include an annual contribution for 30 years to the Arlington County Commuter Services to support the TMP; provide each new tenant in the multi-family building with a choice of a SmartTrip card preloaded with a $65 balance or a bikeshare or car share membership, and other steps.

Rendering of townhomes planned for Red Cross site.

Preserving Whitefield Commons

The developer has agreed to record a historic preservation easement for the Whitefiled Commons apartment buildings on the site. Historically known as Windsor Apartments, the garden apartments were built in 1943. The easement will preserve the buildings’ elevations, landscaped open space and circulation networks. The buildings will be preserved in perpetuity. The developer plans to reconfigure the interiors of the complex to add five units to the existing 63 units.

The complex is eligible for the National Register of Historic Places and is identified as an “Important” garden apartment property in the County’s Historic Resources Inventory.

Public engagement

Five County Board advisory commissions reviewed the proposed project. The Site Plan Review Committee reviewed the proposal at four meetings between October, 2017 and February, 2018.

A walking tour of the site was held on January 20, 2018. Representatives of the Buckingham Community Civic Association, Arlington Oaks Condominiums, Bethel United Church of Christ, and Saint Thomas More Cathedral and School participated in the Site Plan Review Committee meetings. Several residents of the Arlington Oaks Condominiums attended SPRC meetings throughout the process.